Still Scared
by SVUCSIWTRDOOLluver
Summary: Chapter 10 is up, please R&R and tell me if it's bad and what I need to change! This is Gibbs/Abby with some romance! Basically, some guy is after Abby, and he's doing everything he can to kill her, while Gibbs wants to protect her! Now COMPLETE!
1. Still Underwater

This is my second attempt at writing a story for NCIS, apparently I'm on a roll, because I was looking at a picture of Gibbs and Abby hugging and it looks like they're both soaked, but that could just be my imagination, so I came up with an idea about how that could've happened. (I'm on a roll because I wrote my only two NCIS stories in the same night! I amaze myself sometimes…) JK! But, enough of my babble, here's the story!!! ENJOY!!

--

Abby drove along the dirt road, loving the views of the lake she was getting from her car window. She sighed, loving the fact she was able to get away from the lab for a few minutes, just to go look at the lake, and stuff like that. Little did anyone at NCIS know, Abby was a nature freak. She recycled all the time, and just loved nature. She supposed she picked it up from her parents, who were nature freaks too, even though they were deaf. That didn't stop them from telling their neighbors to recycle too.

Her reverie about her parents was disturbed when her cell rang. "Hello?"

"Abby, when are you coming back?" Gibbs' voice said, and Abby said,

"Well hello to you too, Gibbs. I'm fine, how are you?"

"I've got some evidence for you, Abs, when are you coming back?" Gibbs' said, and Abby said, a pout in her voice,

"Fine, be grumpy."

"Abby…" Gibbs said warningly, and she laughed, saying,

"I'm on my way, back Gibbs. Just as soon as I, uh, shake the guy off who's following me." She said curiously, looking in her mirror and seeing the same car she saw five minutes ago.

"What? There's a car tailing you?" Gibbs said sharply, and Abby nodded, though he couldn't see her.

"Yeah, I think so. It's kinda weird." She said, and then the car sped up, going to the left of her as if to pass her. She sighed, saying, "Don't worry, Gibbs, the car just wants to pass me."

"Are you sure?"

"Positi…" Abby began to say, but then her car was jolted hard. She cried out as her head hit the steering wheel, and then looked over to see the car hitting her, and her car was edging towards the lake with every hit.

"Abby? Abs! What's going on?" Gibbs was saying in her ear, and she managed to say,

"He's running me into the lake, Gibbs! Help me!" Just as she uttered those words, the car hit her hard and her car went off the edge of the back and into the lake. She was jerked against the seat, thankful for her seatbelt as she touched her throbbing forehead gingerly. She looked around and saw that her car was sinking fast. The passenger window began to crack, and so did the windshield.

She was trapped in a sinking car, and she had to get out fast.

--

Meanwhile, Gibbs was shouting into the phone while demanding that McGee find out where the signal was coming from. Tony and Ziva were at lunch, so it was just him and McGee. "I'm going to the lake, McGee, keep me posted!" Gibbs said, trying to get Abby back on the phone as he rushed outside and got in his car. He drove to the lake nearby, and began driving around, looking for any signs of Abby's car. He finally spotted some bubbles and parked his car with a squeal, not hesitating as he dived into the water to save Abby.

--

Abby, meanwhile, searched frantically for something to get her out of the car without dying. She found a pen, and braced herself for what she was about to do. Quickly she grabbed her Bart and broke the window, letting the water flow in and shoving her into the back. She found an air pocked and breathed in quickly, taking a deep breath and then going back under, searching for a way out. She got through the window that she had broken open and tried to swim out, but found her foot caught in her seatbelt.

Frantically she tried to unhook it, but found her fingers wouldn't work. She yanked on it a few times, and then realized she had to relax, otherwise she wasn't going to get out of there. With her air supply fading fast, she reached into her car and grabbed a pocketknife she had hidden in her console and cut the seatbelt. She swam quickly to the top, breathing in gulping breaths.

Afraid that the car would come back and the guy would finish the job, she swam quickly to hide in the cattails. She huddled down low, seeing a car pull up. But then, she saw a man with silver hair get out and dive into the water. She still couldn't see who he was, so she stayed hidden. She was trembling with fear, and then the man resurfaced, shouting something.

--

Gibbs couldn't find Abby in the car, and found that the seatbelt had been cut. He resurfaced, shouting, "Abby! Abby, it's Gibbs, where are you? Are you okay? Abs!" There was no answer, so he dived back under again, searching through the car.

It took a couple dips to completely search the car and finally determine that Abby got out, but was lying unconscious somewhere, or she had gotten free but couldn't make it to the top and was floating around underwater, unconscious. Either way, his Abby was dead or dying.

But he refused to accept that.

He resurfaced again, and decided to try calling her again. "Abby Sciuto! If you can hear me answer now, or I won't be very happy with you! C'mon, Abs, you're scaring me now! Abby!"

--

Abby could hear the man's voice clearly now, and she knew it was Gibbs, her Gibbs, coming to her rescue. She swallowed a few times and prepared herself, hoping that her voice wouldn't shake as she called out,

"I'm over here, Gibbs." She cursed herself mentally, as her voice was indeed shaking. She stood up from the cattails and saw Gibbs staring at her. She wrapped her arms around Bart, hugging him tightly and saying,

"I'm scared, Gibbs." She meant to say it softly, but it came out louder than intended and Gibbs began to swim towards her. She would've tried to swim towards him, but she was shaking too much to even hope to swim.

--

Gibbs heard Abby's voice, though it was shaking, but he didn't care, it was still her voice. "Abs." He breathed, knowing that she couldn't hear it. He locked eyes with her, and saw that she was shaking and trembling horribly. Her arms were locked around her stuffed Bart, and he twitched a smile, shaking his head back and forth, though keeping his eyes locked on Abby's.

He was just relieved she was alive, now he had to make sure she was okay. He swam towards her, glad that he was a former Marine, so he made record time. He stood up in front of her and, knowing that she was most likely in shock, held out his hand to her, hoping that she wouldn't notice the slight tremor in his hand as he recalled the horrible feeling he had felt when he had almost lost her.

--

Abby stared at the hand Gibbs held out to her, her bottom lip trembling. She heard him say, "I'll protect you, Abs, no one can hurt you now."

She raised her eyes to him, and threw her arms around his neck, locking them there. Bart was clenched tightly in her left hand, and her right one was holding onto Gibbs wet shirt, never intending to let him go.

She heard him whisper, "It's okay, Abs, no one will hurt you now."

--

It was almost killing him to see his confidant and best friend so scared and trembling. It bothered him even more that he could've prevented this from happening, by going with her, like he had been tempted to do, or telling her that she shouldn't go, or asking her to wait until later when he could've gone.

He knew it was ridiculous to think like that, but he couldn't help it. He didn't know what he would do without Abby there.

"Are you okay, Abs?" He asked quietly, and she nodded, her breath hitching as she said,

"Yeah. I'm not hurt, if that's what you're asking." He nodded, and she still clung to him, but shivered.

"You're freezing. Let me call McGee and I'll get you back to NCIS, okay?" Gibbs said, and Abby nodded, but didn't let go. Instead, Gibbs released her, but put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on his shoulder just as Gibbs cell rang from the road where he had thrown it before diving into the lake. Gibbs picked it up quickly and grabbed a hold of Abby again before answering,

"Gibbs."

"Boss, are you okay? What about Abby?" McGee's voice said, and Gibbs smiled, saying,

"We're okay. We're on our way back, make sure you have heated blankets and hot chocolate for Abby, and hot coffee for me. Can you do that, McGee?"

"Of course, boss. I'll see you in a few."

"Yeah, bye." Gibbs said, and hung up. Abby said quietly,

"Thanks, Gibbs." He looked down at her, saying,

"For what?"

"For saving me." She said, looking up, He knew better than to argue, so he just kissed her forehead and helped her into his car. She clutched at Bart and when he got it, she grabbed onto his right hand in a vice grip, not letting go. He smiled as he drove back to NCIS one-handed.

He got her into the elevator, putting his arm around her shoulders, and when the got to the right level, the doors slid open and McGee jumped up, striding over.

"Where's Ziva and Tony?" Abby asked, her teeth chattering, and McGee said,

"I called them and informed them of the situation, they should be here soon." Abby nodded, but refused to let go of Gibbs. McGee handed him a warm blanket, and Gibbs draped it over Abby's shoulders, and tried to get her to let go.

"No, don't leave me." She whispered, and Gibbs nodded, sitting next to her. McGee gave him a blanket too, and a cup of coffee.

"Thanks McGee." Gibbs said, and then McGee handed Abby a cup of hot chocolate. Just then, the elevator doors slid open and Ziva and Tony came jogging out.

"Boss, Abby, you guys okay?" Tony asked, while Ziva stood next to him, awaiting the answer too.

"I'm good." Gibbs said, glancing up at the two for only a second. Abby was clutching Bart with her left arm and holding onto her hot chocolate with her right hand and was staring into her hot chocolate, obviously not hearing them.

"Abby, are you okay?" Ziva asked, sitting next to her. Abby jerked a little, looking up and saying,

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little shook up." Everyone's eyes expressed concern, but then Abby said threateningly, "If any of you tell Ducky about this, I will not hesitate to slip you some poison in your coffee."

McGee, Ziva and Tony smiled, thinking that the old Abby was back. Only Gibbs noticed the look that came back into Abby's eyes after she cracked the joke, but he was going to wait until later to ask her about it.

Later, after Abby and Gibbs had changed, Abby went back down to her lab, while Gibbs ordered his team home. He went down with a Caf-Pow for her, and saw her sitting in a corner, hugging a still-wet Bart. He crouched down in front of her and said quietly,

"Abby, what's bothering you?"

"Gibbs, I almost died down there, in the water. I could feel my vision going black, and I saw flashes of my mom, and my dad, and everyone here, and Kate, and, I just, the thing that bothers me is that I was ready to welcome death. I could've died, and I would've been happy about it."

Those words bothered Gibbs, and he took Abby's face in his hands, genuinely worried for her. "Abby, you didn't die. Okay?"

"I know, Gibbs, but, it just bothers me that I, I was ready for death. I'm not. I am not ready to die!" She said, the last sentence getting louder.

"I know you're not. And I'm not ready to let you die." Gibbs said, and Abby locked eyes with him.

"Good. Don't." She managed to say, and then said quietly, "I'm still scared, Gibbs." Gibbs looked her in the eyes and then stood up, offering her his hand. She took it without hesitation this time, and he helped her to her feet. He pulled her into his arms and she hugged him tightly.

"Abs." He whispered suddenly, and she looked up at him. "I'm scared too." He said, and she cocked her head, saying,

"Of what?"

"Of losing you." He said, and she put a hand to the side of his face, saying,

"You won't lose me, Gibbs. You never have, never will."

"Can I make sure of that?" He asked, and her eyes turned to confusion. He locked eyes with her, and in a split second Abby knew what he meant. She twitched a smile and he lowered his lips onto hers, their lips melting together in a soul-searing kiss that simply promised that neither of them would leave the other.

--

The end of another one-shot! I don't think I could write any more for this one, but I do appreciate feedback! I hope I portrayed all of them okay, I'm still new, so I'm not sure if I am or not. I absolutely adore constructive criticism! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! Adios!!!


	2. Still Freaked

Chapter 2 of this supposed one-shot is up! Yeah, I felt stupid after realizing that I had someone try to kill Abby and it was going to be a one-shot. That's dumb. Utterly dumb of me. I apologize, and I also apologize about how long it took for me to get this up! My brain just didn't seem to work, so I apologize, but here's the chapter! ENJOY!!!

--

Gibbs finally broke the kiss for lack of air and Abby was staring at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Abby put a finger to his lips and hugged him. He hugged her back, and murmured into her hair,

"Let me take you home, Abbs."

"Why?" She asked curiously, and he replied,

"Because that SOB that shoved you off the road is still out there." Abby drew back and saw the angry fire burning in his eyes, and put her hands on his cheeks, pressing her forehead to his and saying quietly,

"He won't get to me. But just in case, can I stay at NCIS tonight?"

"Only if I get to stay with you." Gibbs said, and Abby began to protest, saying,

"There's no need, Gibbs…"

"I almost lost you today, Abbs. I'm not taking the chance." Gibbs said firmly, and Abby sighed in frustration, but nodded.

"Can you take me home to get some stuff first? Then we'll stop by your place to get some stuff, and come back here." She said, and he nodded, grabbing her right hand with his left. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked out to the elevator.

When they got to the parking lot, Gibbs got in the drivers seat of his car, receiving no argument from Abby. She knew that he hated to drive/ride in her car, since it wasn't that big. He pulled up to her apartment complex, and she bounded out, walking up to the door and unlocking it with her key. She felt someone standing behind her, and glanced over her shoulder to see Gibbs standing there.

"I should've known you wouldn't stay in the car." She muttered, and Gibbs smiled slightly, though he looked around for any sign of danger. Abby got the door open and walked up to her apartment door. She heard Gibbs walking behind her, and then felt his hand on the small of her back, possessively. A man walked by them, and said,

"Hey Abby."

"Hey Michael! Did you just get back from Mexico?"

"Yeah. Boy was it hot there." The man Abby called Michael said, and Abby laughed, replying,

"That's why it's for vacation purposes only." Michael waved and walked off, and Gibbs said in Abby's ear, his breath tickling her ear,

"Who was that?"

"One of my neighbors. Down, Jethro, down." She said jokingly, and when they got into Abby's apartment, he boxed her against her door and said quietly,

"I am not a dog, Abby." His voice was shaking with laughter, letting Abby know that he knew it was a joke.

"Well, you had your hackles up. What else was I supposed to say?" She said with a smile, and he shrugged, saying,

"Well, I have to be careful. Can't go losing you, now can I?"

"Nope." She said, and pressed her lips to his. A few moments later, Abby slipped out of his arms and began packing, tossing some clothes and stuff into a duffel bag. Gibbs just wandered around, looking at her pictures on the walls and stuff.

When Abby was ready, Gibbs grabbed her bag with a few protests from Abby. "I am not fragile, Special Agent Gibbs!" She said haughtily, though the smile on her face ruined the effect.

"Too bad, Forensic Specialist Sciuto." Gibbs said before kissing her temple quickly. She pretended to pout on the way back to the car, and eventually Gibbs put his arm around her shoulders before opening the passenger seat door for her. She got in, still in a pout, and stayed that way all the way back to the Navy Yard. Neither of them spoke until they got into the elevator.

Gibbs pressed the emergency button, and turned to Abby, gently grabbing her wrists and she backed up against the elevator wall. Gibbs looked her straight in the eyes, and she avoided his gaze.

"Abbs." He said quietly, and she glanced up into his eyes for a short moment and then back down. "Look at me." He said softly, and she reluctantly looked him straight in the eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked, and she opened her mouth a few times. Finally, she swallowed and said hoarsely,

"That guy is going to come after me. What if he hurts you, or Tony, or McGee, or Ziva, or Ducky, or anyone else in his attempt to get to me?"

Gibbs almost couldn't believe it, he had thought that she was scared for herself, but in a typical Abby fashion, she was only afraid for the people around her getting hurt in some wacko's attempts to get to her.

"I won't let him hurt you, or anyone else," Gibbs said slowly, and Abby nodded, believing him.

"I believe you, Gibbs. Just, just…" She trailed off, and looked down. Gibbs let go of one of her wrists and put a hand under her chin, making her look at him.

"Just what, Abbs?"

"Just don't leave me." Abby whispered, her free hand grabbing onto his shirt tightly.

"Never." He swore, and covered her lips with his. When they broke the kiss, Gibbs eased back and hit the emergency button again.

When they got to Abby's lab, she lit up at the sight of her 'babies'. Gibbs sat back and watched her as she checked on each and every one of them, cooing at them and asking if they had missed her.

"I'm sure they all did, Abby." Gibbs said, his voice shaking with quiet laughter. Abby put her hands on her hips and looked at Gibbs with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I'd rather hear it from them, not you, Gibbs," She turned back to her computer but then spun around, saying hesitantly, "No offense, though…"

"None taken, Abbs. I never take offense with you." Gibbs said, and set his bag down next to Abby's. Abby was excited about having a sleepover, and Gibbs couldn't help but play along with her, as her excitement was catching.

"You know, Gibbs, this whole thing is freaking me out." Abby commented as they played hang-man.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm freaked." Abby said, and then won hang-man, and jumped up in the air, grinning and laughing as Gibbs muttered something about 'beginner's luck'.

The hours flew by, and the emotionally exhausting day that Gibbs had was finally catching up to him. He and Abby both fell silent for a long time, their hands entwined, and when Gibbs looked over at her, she was asleep. Gibbs smiled as he gently put a blanket down and laid her down on top of it, and laid down next to her as well, but made sure he kept his gun at the ready.

As they both drifted off, a gunshot split the eerie silence of the Navy Yard.

--

I know this chapter isn't as long as the first one, but I was silly enough to think that the first chapter would be a one-shot! Shows you what my I.Q. is, let me tell you! Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you liked it! Adios for now!


	3. Still Shot

Chapter 3 is up!! I know I kept all of you on the edges of your chairs, waiting for me to update after that cliff-hanger (melodramatic, I know, but that's me!) so here is the chapter! I can't really give you a summary, because the title of this chapter says it all! ENJOY!!!

--

"Abby!" Gibbs shouted, jolted awake by the shot. He saw Abby's prone figure, and he shoved her behind a table that he flipped over, to try and protect them both while he grabbed his already-loaded gun.

Carefully, he peeked over the top of the table and shot off a few rounds, all the while shouting, "Abby! Abbs, you okay? Abbs! Answer me, dammit!" When Abby didn't answer, Gibbs dared to stop shooting and turn to her, and even in the glow of the moonlight, he saw the red reflection of blood spreading on her shoulder.

"Get me a medic down here now!" Gibbs shouted, nearly screaming, and turned Abby on her back, though he kept his gun in his hand, though the shots had stopped coming. He heard a car squeal away, and he knew that whoever had shot Abby was gone.

"Agent Gibbs?" Someone's voice said, and Gibbs looked up to see a frightened janitor.

"Get me a medic down here now! I've got one of my people down! She's going to die if you don't get me that medic!" Gibbs shouted, and the janitor scurried off.

"Don't scare the poor fellow, Gibbs." Abby's voice said weakly, and Gibbs took his hand and placed it on her cheek, saying,

"Don't talk, Abbs. I'm gonna get you outta here, you're gonna be okay."

"Trying to convince me, or yourself?"

"Both would be nice." Gibbs muttered as he grabbed his jacket and placed it over Abby's gunshot wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Gibbs, if I don't make it…" Abby started to say, coughing. Gibbs looked at her in alarm, and was even more alarmed to see blood coming up from Abby's coughs.

"Don't even think like that, Abby, please." Gibbs pleaded, and Abby closed her eyes tightly, but then snapped them back open and gripped Gibbs's shirt, saying urgently,

"Please, Gibbs, if I don't make it, just know that I love you. I always have, I always will. I truly, honestly love you."

With that, she thudded down to the floor, her eyes shutting and her wound bleeding profusely. Gibbs heard medics running down the stairs, but he was too stunned to say anything.

"Don't leave me, Abby, please." He whispered, but there wasn't an answer from Abby. He bent and said in her ear as the medic's came rushing in, "I love you too, Abbs. Truly, honestly love you too."

With that he was shoved away, and the medics loaded Abby up on a stretcher, trying to stabilize her. Gibbs couldn't move for the longest moment, and then fury began cursing through him like fire. Without a word he followed the medics out, and since it was the dead of night, there was no one else at NCIS just yet.

"I'm going with her." He said to the medic in charge, and the medic didn't dispute that fact. Gibbs jumped in beside Abby and barely listened to he medics chatter about what kind of medicine to give her, it was all he could do not to grab her and just hug her tightly, hoping that it was all just a bad, bad dream.

Of course, it wasn't, and Abby's heart stopping told him that it wasn't a dream. "She's crashing!" One of the medics yelled, and Gibbs couldn't help but think, _way to state the obvious._

The ambulance squealed up at the hospital, and Abby was wheeled into the ER. Gibbs ran alongside her, but when she got to the doors of the operating room, one of the doctors stopped him and said, "End of the line for you, sir."

"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS." Gibbs said, flashing his badge, but the doctor held firm.

"I'm sorry sir, but you cannot go in there. Go sit down, have some coffee, and I'll come out with an update as soon as I can. We won't lose her, I promise." The doctor said firmly, and Gibbs looked in the doctor, whose name was Dr. Evan Kartright, and nodded.

Gibbs sat down in the waiting room, not intending to budge until he was told he could see Abby. The next thing he knew, his phone was ringing, and he opened it, putting it to his ear and saying, "Yeah. Gibbs."

"Jethro, just what in the hell happened over here?" Ducky's voice cried out, and Gibbs sighed, saying,

"Where are you, Duck?"

"At NCIS. None of us are allowed down into Abby's lab, now why is that?" Ducky said, and Gibbs could hear McGee, Tony, Ziva and Palmer in the background.

"Go tell Jenny to let you down there. Tell her that if she has any problems with that, to call me." Gibbs said, and hung up.

"I need to go see the Director." Ducky said to the others, and walked up to her office to see her just getting in.

"Ducky! You're here early."

"Yes Director, but I'm afraid we have a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"No one will let any of us down to Abby's lab." Ducky said nervously, and without another word Jenny strode out of her office, with Ducky at her heels. She strode down to Abby's lab, but an FBI agent tried to stop her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, no one is allowed in here."

"This is my agency, let me in or I'll have your badge." Jenny said, a deadly-like tone to her voice. The agent stepped aside, recognizing the director, and Jenny strode inside, followed by Ducky, Tony, Ziva, McGee and Palmer. They saw the pool of blood on the ground, and saw some blood spread around the room, in a spray and in a contact smudge.

"Oh my God. What the hell happened here?" Jenny demanded, while the others could just stare at the blood, knowing that it was Abby's blood, since it couldn't be Gibbs, because he was the one who had talked to Ducky.

"We don't know, ma'am, all we know is that in the middle of the night, Special Agent Gibbs called for an ambulance that took Ms. Sciuto to the hospital." The agent said, and Jenny whipped out her cell, dialing Gibbs.

"Yeah, Gibbs." Gibbs's voice said, and Jenny snapped,

"Jethro, what on earth happened to Abby?"

"Remember that psycho that ran her off the road yesterday?" Gibbs questioned, and Jenny nodded, saying,

"Yes, why?"

"Abby wanted to stay at NCIS to feel safer, and I stayed with her. The guy came back, and shot her through the window. And we don't even know his damned name." Gibbs growled, but Jenny heard the hurt in his voice.

"We'll find out, Jethro," Jenny said, and hung up the same time Gibbs did.

"Tony, Ziva, McGee, let's get to processing this. I want to know who tried to kill Abby last night, and I want to know why."

"Yes ma'am." Tony said, and silently the three agents got to processing the scene, all of their thoughts on the life of their forensic scientist that currently hung in the balance.

--

End of this chapter! I hope you liked this addition to the story, and the next chapter will have Tony, Ziva, McGee, Palmer, Ducky, Jenny and Gibbs thinking about Abby and just what in the world they would do without her! Thanks for reading, and adios for now!!!


	4. Still In Danger

Chapter 4 is up!!! Like I said, this is where everyone is wondering if Abby'll survive, and if she doesn't just what in the world would they do without her? ENJOY!!!

--

"You think she's gonna make it?" Tony eventually asked, and both Ziva and McGee were silent for a moment, but then Ziva said,

"She has to."

"Yeah." McGee echoed in a quiet voice as they continued to process Abby's lab. Tony nodded, and got back to work. He collected samples of the blood pool on the ground, and thought about his Abby, the woman he protectively thought of as his younger sister, lying on an operating table, fighting for her life. He was wishing like hell that he could take her place, as she didn't deserve this.

She was so sweet in her odd kind of way, but Tony liked that about her. That was what made her different, what made her Abby. "Why does she have to fight for her life?" Tony asked quietly, and Ziva added,

"Why indeed."

"Why do we care so freakin' much?" Tony said angrily, standing up and throwing the swab containing Abby's blood, the stuff that flowing in her veins, keeping her alive, onto the floor. Ziva placed his hand on Tony's shoulder and said softly,

"Calm down, Tony. Do not be mad at Abby, be mad at the jerk who is trying to kill her."

Tony nodded, and clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, and McGee kept searching for a shell casing, going outside. When he couldn't find it, he swore quietly under his breath, and stood up. He spotted a gleam of metal, and with a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, he picked it up and stuck it in an evidence bag. He took it inside, and found Tony and Ziva reading Abby's handbook, trying to figure out how to process the evidence

They all took a deep breath, looked at each other, and dove into the evidence and all the confusing chemicals.

About 3 hours later, the casing was identified as a nine-millimeter, and it had a fingerprint burned onto it, with burnt skin left behind. The shooter had tried to pick the casing up, but had dropped it instead and left it behind in his rush to get out, as the casing was piping hot when it was ejected from the gun, so it burnt the shooter's finger. The fingerprint was running through AFIS, and the DNA was running through CODIS.

As they were checking the bullet for any kind of trace, Gibbs strode in. "Uh, Boss." McGee said, surprised, and Ziva didn't say anything, just looked at Gibbs with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment, but she wasn't going to say anything.

But Tony did. He strode up to Gibbs, and looked at him in incredulous disbelief. "What, DiNozzo?" Gibbs snapped, and Tony demanded

"What're you doing here?" Gibbs looked at him for a long moment, and then shrugged, saying,

"Catching this bastard."

"You don't belong here." Tony said lowly, and before Gibbs could retort and move to smack him, he added, "You belong at that hospital, with Abby." Tony pointed in the direction of the hospital, and Gibbs said,

"I'm the bo…"

"I don't care," Tony said quietly, his voice vibrating with emotion as he said, "What do you think Abby will do when she wakes up alone? Not to mention that she's in danger until we catch this sick jerk."

Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, but McGee said, "We've got the scene under control, Boss." Everyone looked at him, and he shrugged, going back to the bullet. Ziva's voice came to her and she said,

"Abby needs you more than any of us do. Go, Gibbs."

Gibbs' gaze switched to Ziva, who stared back, and then to McGee, who met his eyes for a moment and then went back to work, and then Tony, who stared back unblinkingly. Gibbs nodded almost imperceptibly, and said,

"Call me with any update, huge or small."

With that he turned on his heel, and called, "Talk to me like that again over something that doesn't concern Abby, DiNozzo, and you'll have a concussion."

"Will do, Boss." Tony called, and Ziva shot a smile at Tony. "What?" He asked of her, and she shrugged, saying,

"It's nice seeing you stand up to Gibbs. It was also very brave of you, Tony. He could've and would've taken you down in an instant. I am proud of you, Tony."

"Good. Tell me that later. Can we get back to work?" Tony said, a little sheepishly, and Ziva raised an eyebrow, saying in his ear,

"Don't you dare start acting like Gibbs. None of us need another Leroy Jethro Gibbs on our hides."

Tony let himself smile for a moment, and the joined McGee at looking at the bullets, while Ziva checked on the progress of the CODIS and AFIS searches.

Gibbs strode to his car, smiling at the way his team stood up to him. He liked it when they stood up to him, it showed him that he had taught them well, that they had backbone, and that was critical in their line of work. As Gibbs sat in his car, he remembered all the times he had sworn to protect Abby, no matter if he had actually said that to her, or he had told himself that silently, which was almost every night when he went to sleep.

But now, he could've broken that promise. Whenever he had tried to protect her before, she hadn't needed his protection, but he was glad she hadn't, but when she really needed his protection, when she was vulnerable, what had he done? He had run off, trying to catch the guy, when the guy could be at the hospital, having another go at Abby's life.

Without hesitation Gibbs' foot slammed on the accelerator, and the car shot forward, speeding towards the hospital. All Gibbs could think was, "I hope I'm not about to let you down, Abbs."

He squealed to a stop in a doctor's parking spot, and as a security guard came up, he flashed his badge, saying, "Matter of life or death, I need to go!" The guard didn't question him, for which Gibbs was grateful. He dashed into the hospital, and asked the head nurse for Abby's room number.

When he got it, he decided to run up the stairs, and reached Abby's floor in a matter of minutes. He quickly strode down the hall, his hand resting on his gun, just in case. When he got to the room, he opened it with a twist of the knob and went into the darkened room, silently and with his gun drawn. A body was on the bed, but no one else. Gibbs cleared the room, and sighed in relief as he lifted the sheet up.

He froze. It wasn't Abby. He was in the wrong room.

Gibbs dashed back out into the hallway, and realized that he was in room 354, not 345. He turned the other way and found 345, and silently walked in, seeing the door open. He kept his gun out, and with a jolt of terror he saw a figure of a man shoving a pillow over Abby's face, and Abby was trying to fight him off, while trying to say something, but the pillow made that impossible.

"NCIS, drop the pillow!" Gibbs yelled in fear, and saw the glint of metal that told him the figure was carrying a gun. With a silencer. He was going to shoot Abby.

--

What a cliff-hanger, huh? And you all are going to hate me for what I'm going to tell you next! I can't update until next weekend, because I'm going on a school trip, and they won't let us bring cell phones, let alone computers! (Not that I have a laptop anyways, nice thought though!) So, no internet, so I'll have to resort to paper and pen, and after I sleep through Friday, I'll type it up and have it to you, no later than Monday night! I am so sorry, but, I can't wait to go to New York!!!! Thanks for reading, and adios for now!!!


	5. Still Forgiving

Chapter 5 is up!!! I'm sorry this is up a little later than I'd like, but I had to redo this, like, 3 times before I got it right! This is where Abby might survive, might not. This isn't very long, and I apologize, but I was just too tired to finish writing this. It's 4 in the morning right now, and I'm beat. Ah well. At least I don't have to do homework! ENJOY!!!

--

The masked man dropped the pillow and fired off a few shots at Gibbs. Gibbs ducked, and when he looked back up, the man was gone, having dashed out of the windows. Gibbs swore, and looked out of the window with his gun, but saw that the masked man was gone already. He pulled out his cell and told security what had happened, and then holstered his gun. He quickly stepped to Abby's bedside, checking for a pulse but finding none.

The man had unhooked Abby's machines, so Gibbs yelled, "I need some help in here! She isn't breathing! I need help NOW!" Gibbs tried CPR, and when that didn't work, he whispered,

"I didn't want our next kiss to end up like this, Abbs!" With that being said, he pressed his lips to hers and tried mouth-to-mouth CPR. Soon, he felt a pulse beating in her neck, and Gibbs muttered,

"Thank God." He was shoved out of the room as nurses and doctors swarmed the room, calling out a bunch of medical terms that Ducky and Palmer would understand, but not himself. With a sigh he pulled out his cell and hit speed dial for Jenny.

"Shepard." Jenny answered, and Gibbs replied,

"Jenny, Abby was attacked in her room."

"Dang it." Jenny swore under her breath, and said, "How is she?"

"Fine, I think. The doctor's are still stabilizing her."

"All right. I'm sending the team over there to process the room. We still don't have a name."

"Do that. And tell them that I want a name by sundown, or I'll gladly settle for their asses."

"Calm down, Jethro, we're doing all that we can."

"Well, we need to do more." He snapped, and then took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "I want 2 agents outside of her room at all times, and one inside if one of us isn't visiting her." He hung up, not giving Jenny time to argue, though she was going to suggest 3 agents instead of just 2.

Gibbs sighed and sat in a chair in the waiting room, dropping his head into his hands. The doctor walked out, and Gibbs stood up. The doctor didn't question him, and said, "Miss Sciuto is recuperating well. She's asking for you." Gibbs was grateful that this was one of those doctors that only used a few words, instead of a million.

Without hesitation he strode to her room and paused, knocking a few times. Abby's voice called hoarsly, "You never knock, Gibbs."

Gibbs pushed the door open and shut it behind him, saying, 'Well, this is, different, Abbs." Abby nodded and struggled to sit up. He rushed to help her, but when he saw her frail look, he almost broke down right there. Instead, he brushed a trembling hand down her face and said in a whisper,

"I am so sorry, Abbs."

"You never apologize." Abby said, confused. Gibbs swallowed hard and said,

"Apologies between friends are acceptable. And to you, right now, I have to."

"But why? What are you sorry about?" She asked curiously, and he blinked once, saying,

"You almost died, Abby, and it was my fault, because I left."

"Gibbs, you had to catch the guy try to kill me. This is strike three, though, he's totally out!"

Gibbs almost couldn't believe how forgiving she was. He almost wanted her to yell at him and tell him that it was his fault, all his fault. Abby could see his eyes, and she gripped his hands in a vice-like grip and said firmly,

"Stop blaming yourself, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Now. Or I will kick you out of here. This is blame-less room, no blaming allowed."

Gibbs twitched a smile and nodded, swallowing and shoving all of his emotions into a drawer in his mind and slamming it shut, locking it up tightly. He slipped his arm around Abby's shoulders and she laid her head on his shoulder. He pressed his lips to her temple, closing his eyes for a long moment.

"Guess what, Gibbs?"

"What?" He said against her skin, and she replied,

"I get to go home in a few days, if I'm good."

"Really?" Gibbs said, pulling back and Abby nodded. "Good, that's great, Abby." Gibbs said, brushing his lips with hers. She hummed for a moment, and then complained,

"But it's not fair, I can't play my music here!" Gibbs laughed, and Abby sighed, laying back and folding her arms.

For the next few days, Tony, Ziva and McGee followed up on useless leads and still didn't have a name, much to Gibbs fury and Jenny's chagrin. Gibbs, meanwhile, never left Abby's side, except when the nurse had to do something to her, or to use the bathroom, or to get food and coffee, along with some Caf-Pow, but usually Tony, Ziva, McGee, Jenny, Ducky and Palmer brought that when they came to visit.

On the third day, Abby was released, but absolutely refused to ride in a wheelchair. Gibbs forcibly picked her up and set her in the wheelchair, and she pouted the entire ride to Gibbs's car. She kept sulking on the ride to Gibbs's house, but when they got there, she perked up immediately at the sight of the entire team waiting for her on the lawn.

They were ready to have a welcome home party, and Abby leapt out of the car before Gibbs could even fully stop. He watched her throw her arms around Ducky's neck, and smiled to himself as one emotion wrenched it's way out of his locked box.

Love. For Abby.

--

I know this chapter wasn't that long, but I wanted to get it up before I overran my own deadline! So thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it, even though it was mostly fluff at the end, and this is supposed to be an angsty fic! Ah well. Adios for now!!!


	6. Still Together

Chapter 6 is up!!! ENJOY!!! (Big thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!)

--

"Tony!" Abby cried out, barreling into him. He pulled her close with a smile, saying,

"Hey Abbs. Glad you're okay." She laughed as she backed off and threw her arms around Ziva's neck.

"Don't strain yourself, Abby." Ziva said, with a smile, and then Abby hugged McGee, saying,

"I'm fine. Did you catch the guy yet?"

"Uh, not yet." Tony said bitterly as Abby hugged Ducky.

"Glad to have you home, Abigail." Ducky said with a smile, and Abby looked at him with narrowed eyes and said,

"You're only getting away with calling me that because I'm hurt, you know that right?"

"I call you that all the time." He countered, and she thought about that.

"Never mind." She said, and Ducky laughed as Abby hugged Jenny, who said,

"You sure you're okay, Abby?"

"I'm fine, Director, thanks though." Abby said warmly, and hugged Palmer. As they all walked into Gibbs' house, Abby slipped her arm through Tony's and said in his ear,

"Don't worry, Tony. You'll catch him." Gibbs caught what she said and he shook his head with a smile and put his hand lightly on her back and said,

"Yeah we will, Abbs." Tony and Abby looked at him for a moment, and then they all trooped into the house.

Tony ordered pizza and pop to be delivered, while Ziva, McGee, Ducky, Palmer and Jenny updated Gibbs and Abby on the case. Not that there was much to update. At ever scene there was very little evidence, which was quite frustrating.

When the pizza got there, everyone began having their own conversations. Ducky, Jenny and Gibbs discussed how Abby should be kept safe, while Ziva, McGee and Palmer talked about the best way for Palmer to not be so afraid and stop being so odd. Tony and Abby had a movie quiz, and Abby won, though Tony said he 'let' her win.

Eventually, Palmer had to leave because he had a date, which was something that shocked everyone except Abby, who didn't see why it was so hard to believe.

Next Jenny and Ducky left, telling Gibbs and Abby to not go into work the next day. Tony, Ziva and McGee weren't leaving as part of Abby's protection detail, and Gibbs protested, but in the end, they were staying.

There weren't many things that Tony, Ziva and McGee would argue to Gibbs about, but Abby's safety was the very first thing on the list.

Gibbs said goodnight to his team and took Abby upstairs, showing her where the spare bedroom was, though his efforts were only half-hearted. He went to his bedroom, but laid awake, fuming at the fact that someone wanted to kill his Abby, and that person was still out there, still walked this earth.

About a sleepless hour later, Gibbs heard footsteps and his door opened. He kept his hand on his gun that was on his bedside table, but then Abby's voice sailed through the darkness with a quiver to it, "Gibbs?"

"I'm awake, Abbs." Gibbs said softly, and added, "What's wrong?"

"I'm scared." Abby admitted in a soft voice, and Gibbs twisted his mouth into a soft smile as he scooted over and patted the bed beside him.

"C'mere." He said when she hesitated, and then flew into his arms.

"Should I be sorry?" She said, her voice muffled by his chest.

"Never. It's okay to be scared."

"The only fear is fear itself." Abby said quietly, and Gibbs smiled.

Only Abby would contradict herself like that. Abby settled in his arms and he pressed his lips to her head as they both drifted off. But then Abby couldn't sleep. She didn't want to toss or turn, for fear of waking Gibbs up, and she really didn't want to do that.

She sighed, and when she sucked back in a breath, she smelt something odd. She sniffed the air again, and it almost gagged her. She hid her face under the blankets for a moment, breathing in clean air, knowing it was some sort of gas in the air, and she felt herself getting dizzy.

Abby forced herself to get up and sat bolt upright, shaking Gibbs' shoulder, saying, "Gibbs! Wake up!" She demanded, shoving him. When he didn't wake up, she almost cried out in despair, but then she dragged him off of the bed, trying to be as careful as possible and breath in as little air as she possibly could.

Abby grabbed her phone and dialed 911, telling them about the gas. She was able to drage Gibbs out of the house and laid him on the grass and then dashed back in, yelling,

"Tony! Ziva! McGee!"

When there weren't an answers, she dashed into the living room and saw Ziva sleeping on the couch, McGee on a sleeping bag on the floor and Tony on a sleeping bag by the stairs. She grabbed Tony by the arm and pulled him out the front door.

She dashed back inside for Ziva, and knew that she couldn't make another trip. She grabbed both Ziva and McGee and almost couldn't drag them out, but knowing that if she stayed in the house any longer then she had to, then they would all die.

She mustered up all of her strength and pulled them both out, though it took double the time it took for Tony and Gibbs. Abby laid them all on the grass and, her strength failing her, she collapsed next to Gibbs, physically exhausted from dragging the four of them out.

Abby remembered that she had to check their pulses, so she forced herself to sit up and checked Gibbs' neck. He had a faint pulse, so she checked the other 3 agents for pulses and only Tony didn't have one.

She frantically began CPR and was forced to perform mouth-to-mouth. "Remember this, Tony, 'cause it'll never happen again." Abby whispered, tears forming in her eyes that she forced back as she kept going, desperately trying to get Tony to breathe.

When his chest finally rose with a breath, she almost cried out in relief as she saw Ziva begin to stir, as did Tony. Abby heard sirens but didn't care. Her friends were safe. That's all she knew. She felt her vision go blurry and heard Gibbs groan, "Abby…"

She blinked a few times, feeling medics grab her and put her in an ambulance with Gibbs and Tony. She was breathing through a oxygen mask, as was Gibbs and Tony, though she was the only one who was semi-conscious. Ziva and McGee were loaded in the second ambulance, as they were awake, just groggy and in less need of medical attention than Abby, Gibbs and Tony.

As the ambulances drove towards the hospital, Abby was filled with a vengeance that she had never felt before. This guy had gone after her friends to get to her. That wasn't going to happen again. She would make damn sure that this guy would never hurt her friends again.

Her eyes burned with fury as she swore that she would go looking for the guy himself before she let her friends get hurt again.

--

End of another chapter! So, what did you think of the cliff-hanger? Although it wasn't my best one, there was one there! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! Adios for now!


	7. Still Fighting

Chapter 7 is up!!! ENJOY!!! (Thank you SO much to those who reviewed!) Warning: major Abby breakdown ahead!

--

"Please be okay, Tony." Abby whispered as she took deep breaths of oxygen in her own hospital room. Tony's lungs had stopped breathing, since they were heavily scarred from catching the plague, so this gas was ever worse for him.

The nurse said, "You did great, Miss Sciuto. You probably saved their lives." Abby shrugged and took some more deep breaths of oxygen before the nurse said she was fine. Abby nodded and walked quickly out of the room, and remembered seeing McGee, Ziva, Tony and Gibbs being rolled into the ER, all of them on stretchers and all of them not breathing.

The images flashed in her mind over and over again until she couldn't take it anymore. She ran out of the hospital, trying not to cry, but hot tears spilling down her cheeks just the same. She saw a tree and ran to it, throwing her back against it and standing there until her legs wobbled and she slid down to sit next to the tree.

Her shoulders shook with sobs as she thought of her friends fighting for their lives because of some psycho that was trying to kill HER. Not Gibbs, not Tony, not Ziva, not McGee. Her.

Rain started pouring down, fitting her mood nicely as tears kept pouring down her cheeks though the sobs slowed down. As lighting flashed and thunder clapped, Abby got up and stumbled away from the tree, knowing it wasn't safe in lighting storms.

Abby collapsed onto the ground, curling up into a ball and burying her face in her knees, wishing that this was just a nightmare, and that none of this was real. But she was yanked back to the harsh reality that it was real when the thunder clapped again.

Abby's worse fears had been confirmed. The person trying to kill her had finally done what Abby had feared he would do since day 1. He had gone after her friends, an extension of her family.

She let herself cry for a really long moment, and then she made herself stop. She got to her feet and stood tall, wiping her tears away only to have them replaced by rain. Her eyes started flashing to show the anger she felt as she muttered,

"Whoever you are, you are a dead man now."

She strode towards the hospital and walked in, seeing Ducky and Jenny sitting in the waiting room. "Abby, my poor girl." Ducky said, and carefully hugged her, as she was soaking wet. Jenny stood up and said,

"Abby, you're soaked. Go home, and get some rest, change, and get something to eat, okay?"

Abby shook her head, like Jenny knew she would, and Ducky said, "Abby, we will call you the instant we know anything."

"No matter what time it is?" Abby asked, narrowing her eyes, and Jenny nodded, saying,

"I promise. No matter what, I'll call you."

"But I don't want to leave until I know that Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and McGee are going to be okay."

"They aren't sure, Abby." Ducky sad hesitantly, and Abby looked at him with wide eyes, and finally gave in.

"Don't let them die, Ducky, please." Abby said with a pleading voice, and Ducky nodded, and Jenny said,

"Go home, Abby. There are a few agents at your apartment, so it's safe there. Go." Abby nodded and trooped off, despair in every step she took. Jenny and Ducky watched her go with sympathy in their eyes.

Abby walked back out into the pelting rain, now that the lighting had ending. Fury raced through her and she shouted, "You happy now? You're done a great job of hurting me by going after my friends! Why don't you just go straight to the person you're after, huh? Come and get me, you coward!"

When nothing happened, she stormed off, going home to try and sleep.

As she drove, a car with no headlights followed her, having heard her words and muttered, "No worries, my dear. When the time comes, you will be mine. But first, you get to suffer, for humiliating me!" The man grinned evilly as she went into her apartment.

Abby took a quick shower and ate a sandwich, falling asleep on her couch, extremely exhausted while her music played. She slept for a good 14 hours, mercifully a dreamless sleep. She awoke groggily to the sound of her cell phone ringing.

She flipped it open and said, "You're reached Abby. Leave me a message and leave me alone." She made a beeping sound, and Ducky's voice said,

"Sleep well, Abby?"

"Was a few moments ago." Abby muttered, and Ducky scoffed a laugh before saying,

"Well, sorry to disturb you, but Jethro is awake and asking for you"

"Demanding is more the word, Ducky." Jenny's voice said in the background, and Ducky continued,

"Well, regardless, he is frantic to make sure you didn't suffer any damages, and he won't take the nurses word for it."

"On my way, Duckman," Abby said, fully awake now, adding, "Tell him to not have a heart attack." She hung up, trying to hide her anxiousness. Abby quickly dashed out to her car, leaving her hair down as she strode into the hospital.

Ducky saw her coming and stood up, saying, "Ziva is awake too, my dear."

"Thanks, Ducky." She said, and went into Ziva's room, as it was closer.

"Abby." Ziva said with a smile, and Abby flung her arms around Ziva's neck. Ziva hugged her back and said quietly,

"Thank you, Abby."

"For what?" Abby asked, a little confused.

"For saving my life. I owe you my life. That is a very big deal in my country. I owe you." Ziva said, and Abby twitched a smile, saying,

"You're welcome." Abby let Ziva go and asked, "How's Tony?"

"Still unconscious. The doctors saw no lasting damage, so he will be fine. And before you can ask, McGee is supposed to be awakening in a few hours, he is perfectly fine."

Abby smiled, and then they both heard the sound of a heart monitor going flat. "Isn't that…" Abby started to say, but Ziva's terrified face said it all. The sound was coming from Gibbs' room.

She dashed next door, and when she got to the door, she almost fainted at what she saw. The heart monitor was going flat and Gibbs was lying on the bed. "Gibbs!" She screamed.

--

Well, I'd say that was a better cliff-hanger, right? I hope you liked this chapter, and thanks for reading! Adios for now!!!


	8. Still Furious

Chapter 8 is up!!! Well, this is a twist to the last cliff-hanger, a big twist you probably didn't expect, well maybe you did, so let me know what you think, please! ENJOY!!!

--

"No, Gibbs, no!" Abby screamed and Gibbs' body convulsed and flopped on the bed. Doctors and nurses rushed to get him breathing normally again as a nurse pulled her back. She stumbled out into the hallway, trying to stop the tears from flowing as she stumbled into Tony's room.

"Tony…" Abby whispered as she somehow walks into his room. He immediately opens his arms for her, and she throws her arms around his neck, saying,

"Gibbs, he flat lined, they're trying to save him, I'm so scared, Tony!" Tony pulled her close, saying,

"Don't worry, Abbs, he's a fighter, he'll make it through."

"But, but what if he wants to live with Shannon and Kelly now? What then?"

"I don't know, Abbs." Tony said honestly, and Abby started crying softly.

"I can't lose him, Tony, I just can't!" Abby said quietly, and Tony stroked her hair, saying,

"Me too, Abbs. You and me both."

Just then, a nurse came in and says, "Agent DiNozzo, you need to walk around a bit. To build back your lungs up. Doctor's orders."

"Thank you, Nurse Emily." Tony said, smiling at the young nurse. Nurse Emily blushed and then walked out. Abby hit Tony on the arm and he said,

"Ow!" He held his arm, saying, "What was that for?"

"For hitting on a woman when you already have a girlfriend. I'm sure Ziva already discussed that with you."

"Oh yeah." Tony muttered, vividly remembering when Ziva threatened him with castration if he ever flirted with another girl since they had begun dating.

Abby smiled and held out her arm, saying, "Well, you gotta walk, so walk with me!" Tony nodded, surprised at Abby's change in emotions, but then this was Abby, and Tony could see the hurt in her eyes, which meant she was using her feistiness and peppiness to cover up the fact that she was really worried.

Tony took her arm and they slowly made their way outside, where the sun was actually shining. Abby scowled at the sun, as it seemed to mock her, saying that everything was right with the world, wait, except the fact that the love of your life is fighting for his life in a hospital room and may not make it.

"You okay, Abbs?" Tony asked, reaching Abby through her thinking fog.

"I will be." Abby sighed, and then leaned her head on Tony's shoulder. Just then, her cell phone rang and she jumped up to answer it, walking a few feet away from Tony.

"Hello?"

"If you want revenge for your friends almost-deaths, come to the abandoned fishery on 2nd and Applewood. Tell anyone, and your only chance to avenge them is gone. Not to mention I might try it again. And maybe I'll succeed."

"There isn't a chance in hell I'll miss that," Abby hissed, and added, "What time?"

"Today, 4 o'clock sharp. Be there, or gamble with your friends lives." The voice said, and hung up. Abby stared at the phone weirdly, thinking that the voice sounded familiar, but then again she just could be imaging things.

"Hey Tony, I'll walk you back to your room, see McGee and Ziva, check on Gibbs and then I gotta go back to my apartment for a few things to keep me busy while I stay at the hospital." Abby called as she walked back over to Tony.

"Okie dokie." Tony said with a smile, and Abby rolled her eyes, saying,

"There should be a note in your file to never give you pain killers. Makes you all loopy." Tony shrugged and took Abby's arm as she helped him back to his room. When he was lying down in his room, Abby went out into the hall and debated on whether to just leave or go see the others.

She checked her watch and saw that she had about 3 hours left, so she had time. Abby walked by Gibbs' room, but the only information she got was that Gibbs had to go back into surgery to clear his blocked airways. This information only made Abby more depressed as she went to McGee's room.

"Hey Abby." McGee said with a slight smile, and Abby hurriedly hugged him, saying,

"Oh my God, McGee, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Me too, Abbs." McGee said, mumbling into her shoulder that was covering his mouth. Abby backed off and worry came back on her face and said,

"Gibbs' heart flat lined about an hour ago." McGee nodded with a sad look coming over his face and said,

"Yeah. The nurse told me."

"He's going to be okay, right McGee?"

"That I can't tell you, Abby." McGee said with a sigh and Abby started knocking her hands together like she always does when she's nervous.

"I gotta go," Abby said quickly, and before McGee could blink Abby was out the door. He blinked a few times, and then decided that that was just what Abby did.

Abby walked by Ziva's room, and Ziva called, "Abby!"

"Yeah?" She said, popping her head into the room. Ziva beckoned her closer and Abby edged into the room, obviously fighting between wanting to leave and wanting to hear what Ziva had to stay. Wanting to hear what Ziva had to stay won, and she plopped down in the chair next to Ziva.

"I just heard from the nurse, Gibbs is still unconscious but breathing with a tube. When he wakes up, the doctor's will be able to find out the damage that not being able to breathe has done." Ziva said to Abby, and all thoughts of leaving vanished from her mind, for the time being.

"Oh thank God." Abby muttered, and rubbed her temples. Then, she remembered the 'no idea what kind of damage had been done' part and jerked her head back up and said, "oh my God."

"What?"

"What if he lost his memory? Again?" Abby said, a little desperately.

"I'm, not sure," Ziva said, hesitating as she didn't want to think of that possibility either. Abby took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, not wanting to admit the possibility, even though she already did. Abby took another deep breath and stood up, saying,

"I'm going back to my apartment. Going to get an overnight bag and then I'll be back."

"All right. Make sure the FBI…" Ziva started to say, and Abby rolled her eyes, saying,

"Yeah, yeah, Ziva, make sure they're stalking me. I get it."

"They are protecting you, not stalking you." Ziva said with a grin, and Abby blew out a breath with a slight smile, replying,

"That's what they all say." She smiled and left Ziva laughing as she walked out and pulled out her cell, checking the time. She only had an hour to get to the warehouse, and that should be enough time, since first she had to go to her apartment and ditch the FBI goons tailing her.

Then she's go and end this for good. Whoever this guy was, he better be scared of Abigail Sciuto. No one, and that means NO ONE messes with her team.

Abby looked in her rearview mirror and saw the FBI car following her. Of course it was an unmarked car, but Abby could spot an unmarked police car a mile away. She went to her apartment and saw the car stop. She had given the detail strict instructions to never come into her apartment building or follow her into the building.

They stayed in the car, something Abby had been hoping for. She moved around her apartment, setting up to shake off the detail. She put her lights on a timer, so they would go off in a few hours. She stuck her cell phone in her waistband so whoever the person was, they might not know she was carrying her cell.

Then she took a gulp of Caf-Pow and went over to her window, carefully climbing out. She took cautious steps downward and eventually reached the ground. She took her note out of her pocket and taped it to the building, letting whoever followed her route know that she was okay.

Abby walked towards her car and then took out her remote control that she had installed to track back to her lights. She flickered them a few times, and saw the two FBI goons go up to her apartment. She hurried to her car, started it but left the headlights off, and then drove off as quickly and as quietly as she could.

Once she got on the highway, she realized that the warehouse she was headed to was the same one that Gibbs went to rescue Kelly's best friend. She was surprised, and realized that it had to be an ulterior motive. Then she remembered that Tony had been there too, so it had to be someone connected to either Gibbs or Tony. Or both.

But she would soon find out. As she kept driving, the FBI detail was frantically phoning Fornell.

"Fornell." Tobias' voice said sleepily, and Agent Mulroney said,

"Fornell, we've got a problem."

"With Miss Sciuto?"

"Yeah. She's, uh, gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?" Fornell demanded, fully awake now.

"Her lights flickered, we went up there and she climbed out her window and took her car and disappeared." Mulroney said sheepishly, and Fornell swore quietly, saying,

"Dammit! Gibbs is gonna kill me!"

--

End of another chapter! Only two more chapters to go after this one, and I hope you liked this chapter! So, what do you think Gibbs will do to Fornell for 'losing' his Abby? I'm going to enjoy writing that! ;) Thanks so much for reading, and let me know who you think the guy is! Adios for now!!!


	9. Still Sneaky

Chapter 9 is up!!! Only one more chapter to go after this!!! ENJOY!!!

--

He hung up on his agent and quickly pulled his work clothes on, going to the hosptail where he knew Gibbs was still at. As he strode into the hospital, he found Gibbs' room and walked in to see him fully awake and watching the news.

"Hey Tobias." Gibbs said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Jethro. I've got bad news."

"About Abby?" Gibbs demanded, flipping the TV off immediately as he looked at Fornell.

"Yeah. She gave my men the slip."

"What?" Gibbs thundered, and before Fornell could defend himself Gibbs continued, "How did she give them the 'slip', Tobias? Protection detail means to keep an eye on her!"

"She flickered her lights, climbed out her window and took her car. They don't know where she went."

Gibbs swung his legs over the edge of the bed to get up and started breathing heavily. "Whoa, Jethro, we've got this. We lost her, we'll find her."

"You're damn right you're gonna find her!" Gibbs threatened, and then his doctor, Dr. Michael Willows came in and said,

"Agent Gibbs, if you attempt to leave, I'm afraid I'll have to restrain you."

"Like hell." Gibbs growled, and Dr. Willows glared at him, and Gibbs knew he would give him enough painkillers to knock him out for a few days, and he wouldn't hesitate. "Fine. But I want hourly updates, you got that Tobias?"

"Got it." Fornell said just as Tony and Ziva appeared in the doorway.

"What're you two doing out of bed?" Gibbs demanded of his two agents, still pissed that Abby had given the FBI detail the slip.

"We've been released." Tony said, a smirk coming over his face. Ziva couldn't hide a smile and Gibbs said,

"Wipe that smile off both your faces. Abby gave her protection detail the slip, and you two are going to help Tobias and his team find her."

"Got it boss." Tony said, his smile slipping off his face instantly.

"We'll get right on it." Ziva said, her smile also gone as they both followed Fornell out. Tobias has his team track Abby's cell phone, and discovers that she went to a warehouse, and the cell is still there.

When Tony saw the address, he was shocked. "What is it, Tony?" Ziva questioned, and Tony replied,

"This is where I saved the boss and that girl Gibbs was trying to help. Kelly's best friend." Ziva's breath caught in her throat as she pulls out her cell and calls for a SWAT team's assistance.

They pulled up to the fishery warehouse and saw Abby's car sitting in the lot. Tony and Ziva pulled their guns and advanced on the car as Fornell and the SWAT team broke into warehouse. Tony opened the driver's side door, which was unlocked and saw Abby's cell phone sitting on the seat.

"DiNutso! David! Get in here!" Fornell called, edginess in his voice. Tony and Ziva jogged into the warehouse and spotted one of Abby's collars lying in a pool of blood.

"Oh my God…" Tony breathed, hoping against hope that it wasn't Abby's blood. Ziva pulled out her cell in shaking hands and dialed Ducky. She told him to come to the warehouse and then hung up. She couldn't talk much more without showing her emotions, something a Mossad assassin wasn't trained to do.

Ducky arrived a half hour later with Palmer, and as soon as they both saw the pool of blood, both of them stopped in their tracks. "Whoever lost this blood, is barely surviving." Ducky said quietly, and that's all Tony needed to hear. He strode out and called back, "Catch a ride with Ducky and Palmer, Ziva. I gotta talk to McGee and Gibbs."

Ziva looked at Ducky, who nodded. "There's not much we can do here, Mr. Palmer. Get a sample of that and I'll see if I can run it. See who's it is." Ducky said with a sigh and Palmer nodded, getting to work. Ziva and Ducky stood silently, wondering what went on in that warehouse.

--

Tony drove back to the hospital and pulled up, slamming his hands down onto the steering wheel. When he pulled up, Gibbs was walking out under his own power. "Boss," Tony said in shock as Gibbs walked up to his car and got in the passenger seat.

"McGee's on his way. We convinced Dr. Willows to let us out early so we can find Abby." Gibbs said shortly as McGee started to walk out of the hospital.

"All we found was Abby's dog collar and a pool of blood at the warehouse, Boss." Tony said quietly, and Gibbs nodded, his jaw tightening with anger.

--

Meanwhile, Abby was just coming to, having been knocked out by someone she knew. When she walked into the warehouse, ready to fight, she felt someone hit her from behind and that knocked her to the ground, where she was a little woozy. Then, she watched as some guy dragged in a body and left a pool of blood on the ground.

Abby managed to roll over on her back and when the guy came back to her, she saw his face and knew who he was: her crazy ex-assistant Chip, AKA Charles. "You bastard…" Abby mumbled before Chip grinned and said,

"Hello Abby. Or should I say ma'am?" Then he put someone over her mouth and nose and Abby drifted off.

Now she was coming to, and was in the strangest place: the back of a warehouse. She looked around and thought the place looked familiar. She had been here before, but just couldn't put her finger on it…

--

Tony took Gibbs and McGee to the squad room where they saw Jenny and Ziva standing in front of the plasma. "What've we got?" Gibbs demanded, and neither Jenny nor Ziva looked surprised to see him or McGee.

"We're working on finding out where Abby is. I found a hair at the scene, and guess who it belongs to?" Ziva said, her voice hard.

"I don't play guessing games, Ziva." Gibbs growled, and Jenny said,

"Abby's ex-assistant, Chip."

Gibbs stared into the picture of Chip they had up on the plasma, and fury flared inside of him. "Where is he?"

"We're tracking his cell right now." Ziva said, and McGee sat down at his computer and typed in a few numbers and suddenly an address popped up.

"That bastard." Gibbs muttered. It was the address in Stillwater, of his father's store. "He's got Abby and Jackson."

"Let's roll." Gibbs said loudly and grabbed his gun from his desk drawer, as did Ziva, Tony and McGee. Jenny did too, and Gibbs just looked at her.

"I'm coming, Jethro. Abby's my friend too." Jenny said quietly, and Gibbs just nodded. They all walked out and piled into two cars. Gibbs got into one with Tony, while McGee and Ziva got into the other one with Jenny. Suddenly Fornell ran up, and got in the backseat of Gibbs and Tony's car.

The three hour drive to Stillwater was as silent as a graveyard, with the occasional blast of music from Tony's earbuds connected to his iPod and then there was Fornell who was almost constantly on his phone, getting a medical helicopter ready to transport Abby or anyone else, just in case.

Gibbs made the four hour drive to Stillwater in a little under three hours, with Ziva right behind him, as she was the one driving Jenny and McGee's car. It was a good thing that Gibbs had given McGee his motion sickness pills, because he'd probably need them.

Just as they pulled into Stillwater, Gibbs knew that there was something wrong. A crowd was gathered around Jackson's store, and the sheriff was outside on the phone, obviously not doing a thing.

"Hey!" Gibbs called out, and the sheriff turned to face him, and an ugly grimace twisted on the sheriff's face.

"Oh no, you ain't taking this from me, Leroy." The sheriff growled, and Gibbs grabbed his phone and chucked it down the street.

"Oh yes I am. My father is in there, along with one of my people."

"You mean that Goth forensics chick?" The sheriff said dismissively, and Gibbs grabbed his collar, shoving him against the car and said,

"She's not a 'chick'; she's more educated than you are."

"She's still a woman. My opinion, they should stay at home, keep their mouths shut and be there for our every need." The sheriff said with a slight smile, and Gibbs barely restrained himself from shooting the piece of garbage.

Jenny walked up and said, "Go, Jethro. I'll handle this piece of crap." Gibbs huffed out a breath and walked towards the front of the store, with McGee, Ziva and Tony following him. Jenny smiled dangerously sweetly at the sheriff and kneed him where it really hurts.

"All right, we all want Abby out of there alive, so let's play it safe." Gibbs said quietly to his team and got to the front of the crowd. They were able to see the situation through the window, and saw Chip with a knife against Abby's throat and Jackson with his hands up, a few feet away from Jackson.

"God, Abbs, what've you gotten yourself into?" He whispered, filled with fear for his Abby, his love, with a knife to her neck.

--

Well, I think I'm getting better with those cliff-hangers, don't you agree? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and remember, the next chapter is the last one! How many of you guessed that Chip was the guy? Since I don't know his last name, I'll just call him Chip! Thanks so much for reading, and adios for now!!!


	10. Still In Love

Chapter 10 is up!!! This is the last chapter!!! Later on, when I say Gibbs, I'm talking about Leroy Jethro Gibbs, when I say Jackson, I'm talking about Jackson Gibbs, just so no one gets confused! ENJOY!!!

--

Gibbs took a deep breath and decided to try and get Abby and Jackson out of there without anyone getting hurt, and knocked on the door. Chip's voice snarled, saying,

"Who's there?"

"Special Agent Gibbs. You remember me, don't you Charles?"

"Yeah I do. Made me shave my moustache. But at least you call me by my given name! Little Miss Perfect here calls me Chip! My name is Charles!" Chip yelled, and Abby said,

"Whatever you say. Chip." Chip pressed the blade into her neck even more and she winced.

"Well, one thing I do know, Charles," Gibbs paused, using his real name, and then added, "You want Agent DiNozzo, not Abby. Isn't that right?"

"Exactly. But I figure, hurt his best friend, which is Abby. I would've gone for his girlfriend, Officer David, but she's too good. She wouldn't act on her emotions. I knew Abby would."

"So you played her. Clever, aren't you Charles? Well, if you want DiNozzo, here he is." Gibbs opened the door and Tony poked his head in. That provoked the opposite reaction Gibbs was hoping for. He hoped that Chip would throw the knife at Tony and Gibbs could shoot him, but instead Chip started shaking with blind rage and went to throw the knife at Jackson.

"No!" Gibbs, Abby and Tony yelled at the same time as Chip went to throw the knife. Abby kicked Chip in his groin and ran in front of the knife, throwing her arms around Jackson to protect him. It seemed to go in slow motion for everyone, the knife slowly pierced Abby's chest and blood started seeping through her clothes.

Gibbs instantly fired, twice in Chip's chest. He moved to Abby's limp side as Jackson was gripping her hand tightly. "Stay with me, Abbs." Gibbs muttered as he ripped his jacket off and bunched it around the knife, getting ready to take it out.

"Gibbs! Don't!" Ziva suddenly yelled, sprinting to his side and saying, "Take the knife out and she dies. The knife is stopping the blood from coming out. If you take it out, then she'll bleed out."

Gibbs froze, horrified at the fact that he almost killed Abby. His girl. He took a deep breath and then yelled, "Where is that helicopter?"

"On it's way." Tony yelled, frozen at the sight of Abby lying on the ground, a knife sticking out of her stomach. Just as the words came out of his mouth, a few paramedics raced past him and loaded Abby up on a stretcher. Gibbs walked with her, as did Jackson, both of them looking equally worried.

The next few hours were blurs to both Jethro and Jackson. All Gibbs remembered was gripping Abby's hand tightly on the ride to Bethesda and then being sat in the waiting room by Jackson. He barely remembered the team coming in and sitting by them, all of them joining the silent vigil.

Eventually, Dr. Willows came out of Abby's room, stripping off his gloves and dumping them in the garbage. Gibbs came out of his stupor and stood up, looking the doctor in the eyes.

"Miss Sciuto came out of surgery an hour ago." The doctor began to say, and Jenny stood up, saying,

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dr. Willows looked her straight in the eyes and said softly,

"Because we weren't sure what her condition was." Jenny nodded, swallowing hard and then he continued, saying, "It's almost like a miracle. She's recovered miraculously since then, and can probably be released tomorrow. It's, something I've never seen. She must really have something to live for."

"Can we see her?" Jackson asked the crucial question the same time Gibbs did. They looked at each other and then back at the doctor when he said,

"Yes. But only two at a time, she's going to be very sore, especially with the slight beating she took. It looks like she got into a fight with her captor, and she put up a good fight."

"I'll bet." Gibbs said quietly, with a slight smile, knowing that his girl was a fighter. He and Jackson immediately walked into Abby's room, and she was resting, her eyes closed and her skin dangerously pale.

"Hey Abbs." Gibbs said quietly, sitting at her right hand side and taking her hand, kissing it softly. Jackson took her other hand and stayed there, silently. Abby stirred and her eyes flickered open, and she smiled at father and son. Jackson smiled back, and Gibbs knew his dad needed to talk to Abby alone. He got up and said, "I'm going for coffee."

"I'm not allowed to have coffee." Abby said weakly, and Gibbs smiled, signing, "My girl" on her cheek and then walking out. The team looked up at him and he said,

"Hey, I don't care what that doctor said, everyone can go in. Just give my dad a few moments." Everyone nodded as Tony followed Gibbs to the coffee.

--

A half hour later, Jackson came out of Abby's room, having said goodbye to her and thanking her for saving his life, though he scolded her for getting herself hurt. He said goodbye to the team and then met up with Gibbs as he was coming back with the coffee.

"I'm going back to Stillwater, Leroy." Jackson said, and Gibbs smiled, knowing that he was going to leave.

"All right. How's Abby?"

"She's asking for you. If you ask me, that girl's got it bad for you, Leroy." Jackson said, winking at his son. Gibbs rolled his eyes and said,

"Bye dad."

"Goodbye son. Come down and visit now and again, bring Abby with you too."

"You only like her because she gives you tons of business." Gibbs muttered as he pulled his dad into a hug.

"I'm proud of you son," Jackson said quietly, and Gibbs pulled back, saying,

"Love you too, dad." Jackson smiled, clapping Gibbs on the shoulder and walked out. Gibbs smiled and walked back to the team, who was standing in Abby's room. He gave a cup of coffee to Jenny and one to Ducky, and Tony walked in, giving Ziva and McGee theirs.

Jenny saw Gibbs looking at Abby and told everyone to go home and get some sleep. Everyone gave Abby a hug and left, all of them knowing that Abby and Gibbs needed a moment. As soon as everyone left, Abby opened her arms and Gibbs slipped into her arms, pulling her close and their lips meeting instantly.

"Abbs…" Gibbs breathed as they both surfaced to take a breath. She kissed him again and again before replying,

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry,"

Abby sat there, shocked, and then said, "Uh, what for?"

"Almost killing you." He whispered, and Abby looked confused. "I almost pulled the knife out when Chip stabbed you. You would be dead right now if I had." He added miserably, and Abby grabbed Gibbs by the waist and pulled him close so he had to lay down next to her.

"Listen to me, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. It wasn't your fault. It was instinct, and I already thanked Ziva for stopping you. There is no blame to be placed anywhere. Nothing is your fault. And either you stop thinking like that, or I'll have security kick you out." Abby said, narrowing her eyes and taking on a firm voice and tone. Gibbs nodded, and then sighed. "What?" Abby asked, and Gibbs sighed.

"Come live with me." He said, looking her straight in the eyes. She blinks once, and then says,

"Are you sure?"

Gibbs silences all her doubts by leaning in and kissing her softly, sweetly, and she breaks the kiss, saying, "Then yes. But I wonder what everyone will say about me having a change of address that just happens to match yours." He smiles and chuckles, pulling her close and resting his lips against her forehead and said,

"That I can't answer, Abbs." She laughs too, and then pulls him back, saying

"I love you," Gibbs smiles and kisses her again, mumbling against her lips,

"Love you too, Abbs."

--

End of this story! So, how'd you like this chapter? Abby stabbed, almost dying, miraculous recovery, all in one chapter! Talk about a roller coaster ride! Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it all! Adios!!!


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